Nathalie Stutzmann announced as Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra

RTÉ today announced Nathalie Stutzmann as Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra. Nathalie will hold this position from September 2017 to May 2019.

In addition to this new position, Nathalie is currently in the first of a three-year role as the first Associate Artist of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and Associate Artist of the Orchestre National de Bordeaux for the 2016/17 season. She enjoys an exclusive contract with Warner Classics/Erato as both singer and conductor.

Speaking about her new position, Nathalie said:

“When I conducted the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for the first time in 2016, I felt an immediate connection with the musicians: only a few minutes into our first rehearsal it became clear that here was an ensemble of musicians with a rare combination of generosity of spirit, human warmth and real character: an orchestra made of flesh and blood! I enjoy working with people who recognise music for what it is – one of life’s most extraordinary gifts – and who are willing to commit mind and body to the challenge of revealing it to our audience, to the search for that extra colour, that extra poetry, that extra sensory layer. That is what I am always looking for, and I found it here. It is a great honour and pleasure for me to become the RTÉ NSO’s Principal Guest Conductor, and I very much look forward to developing together a bond with our audience, both those attending live and the radio and online audiences both in Ireland and internationally.”

Aodán Ó Dubhghaill, Head of RTÉ’s Orchestras, Quartet & Choirs, said:

“Nathalie first conducted the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Wagner and Mahler at the National Concert Hall in February 2016. From the outset, it was apparent that an easy and natural chemistry had developed between Nathalie and the musicians. It was also clear that the public intuitively sensed and responded in the warmest terms to the music-making and to Nathalie’s natural charisma. Nathalie brings the qualities one expects of a great singer to her work as a conductor, coaxing beautiful phrasing from musicians and conveying an unerring sense of musical line. This appointment marks the start of a significant artistic partnership and we are excited at the prospect of sharing the resulting music-making with the widest possible audience.”

As Principal Guest Conductor, Nathalie will conduct a minimum of five concerts each season, with her first performance as Principal Guest Conductor taking place on Friday 29 September 2017. Full details of her initial series of concerts will be announced to coincide with the 2017/18 season launch later this year.

Nathalie will also conduct the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra this Friday in a programme of Beethoven and Brahms with violinist Itamar Zorman and cellist Leonard Elschenbroich. Listen live on RTÉ Lyric FM.